Does ski width matter? We polled our readers at ElevationOutdoors.com and a whopping 79 percent like fatties. So we thought we would reinterpret the question a bit and decided to pit a skinny-ski loving nordic geek against a fatter-the-better bro and see who could make the best argument for the waistline (and resulting style) of their skis.
The Thin Man
The skis say it all: light, responsive and quick. But that’s not where the discussion ends, because for Nordic it isn’t about the equipment, it’s about the skier.
I grew up as a competitive bump skier. I competed on both the Alpine and Freestyle teams but the “sport” soon lost its allure. The challenge wasn’t there. Resort skiing left me feeling like a kid playing with his inheritance. Skiing, even on the steepest runs covered by VW bug-sized bumps, was just too easy.
With the advent of shaped skis, side-cuts, spatula-like phat boys, and wide-shovel big boards, it became even easier. What the hell? With high-speed chairlifts and gondolas taking you up and the skis doing all the work for you on the way down why not stay at home and play Wii Skii? The thrill and challenge was gone. You may get your jollies from the speed, adrenaline and fear but then you also know a lot about drunken sorority chicks and focusing on après ski, Tom.
Enter Nordic skiing. It’s known as the ultimate endurance sport due to the fact that it requires coordination, strength, balance, stamina and the ability to suffer from full-body exertion, often at altitude. It has built the fittest athletes ever. In fact, Bjørn Dæhlie, a Norwegian Nordic legend, tested to have a world record VO2–max of 96 ml/O2/kg/min. Nordic skiers are (in)famous partiers. Bode Miller and Tanner Hall would be chastised for premature egress if they tried to keep up with the Tantric endurance of the likes of Dæhlie.
But the focus of Nordic isn’t après ski or a short-lived face shot or two, nor is it technology, although our skis, boots and feather-weight poles are the shit. I can meet my Nordork buddies at 6 a.m. in west Boulder, carpool to Eldora, where we push one another on dawn patrol to the point of near vomit (or beyond), feel the satisfaction of as much V2 technique as we can muster, and be in the office before 9 a.m. with a pleasant burned feeling and post-exertion buzz that lasts most all day.
That experience isn’t anything you’ll achieve from alpine, where the point is to make it easier on baggy bedecked partiers who let gravity do the work. Nordic requires some glide or kick wax, real effort, developed skill, consistent dedication and evolved coordination. But then again, it is a sport, not an activity, one where responsiveness is in the skier, not the ski.
—Adam W. Chase
Fat Boy
Poor Adam. He’s confusing cross country skiing with skiing. I have nothing against cross country skiing. In fact, I raced as both an alpine and Nordic skier at the collegiate level. But to compare the two and to proclaim cross country skiing is better is like saying that Eldora is better than La Grave. Huh?
Skiing is about speed, adrenaline and fear. So you can push your body to the point of near vomit? Cool dude, I’ve seen drunken sorority chicks do the same thing.
You want exercise? Go to Jackson and hike out to Four Pines. Not only will you get a workout, but you’ll get to taste face shots at the end of your hike instead of the bile bubbling up from your stomach.
The point of fat skis is to make things easier. And easier means more fun. And fun is, after all, the reason why you go skiing. Sure, all those super fit guys in tight clothing are, well, super fit. But have you ever hung out with Bjørn Dæhlie? Go hang out with Tommy Moe, Darren Rhalves or Tanner Hall if you want fun. They actually go to a bar for après ski.
Adam says he finds cross country skiing more satisfying (some people find sex without orgasm more satisfying, too). But he misses the point. When it comes to the actual skiing part, it’s hard to imagine that Nordic skis will handle that icy run, breakable windslab or even the two feet of new snow with the efficiency that a pair of fatties will. Nordic skis are anything but “responsive”. But they are light, so light you can snap them with your own two hands. At least they have that going for them.
Skiing is about going downhill. To go up, you can hike, ride a lift or even shell out for a heli-drop. The sad part is that Adam will never enjoy another powder day. Nope, he’ll be floundering around on the x-c trails, going cross country, breaking trail and being “efficient.”
Me, I’ll be going on dawn patrols to Berthoud Pass, traveling to La Grave, and heli-skiing Alaska with my fat skis in tow, dropping into lines that probably aren’t thrilling or challenging enough for Adam, but which are just fine for me.
—Tom Winter
